Here is a benefit for moms who don’t want to go back to work until the kid(s) are in school.  If you only have 1, the time frame is sooner.  My only child Joshua will be in school full-time in the fall.  He goes to a private school where Jr Kindergarten is full time.  Yes, they take naps.  No, they don’t get grades.  This school doesn’t even give letter or number grades until the 5th grade!  No pressure whatsoever.  He will take violin and Spanish, practice letters and writing and fill the front of my fridge with cool artwork!

I stopped working when I got pregnant.  I was out of the workforce exactly 5 years (almost to the day).  I started looking for a job this past April thinking with the economy what it is, it would take months to find a job.  Nope.  I got the first job I interviewed for, and it is exactly what I wanted.  It left me scrambling for summer child care since I didn’t expect to start working until school started again.  Everything ended up working out just fine.  Joshua is spending 2 days with Daddy who works from home Tues/Thur, 2 days with my best friend and her 3 kids, and 1 day with Grandma.

Isn’t it better to be home with your child(ren)?  It depends.  My personality leans toward workaholic-ism (is that even a word??).  My at-home business was actually taking me AWAY from my family since I was doing it all the time.  We decided for me to go to work and then be 100% home when I am home is better for us.   Joshua is learning about adapting to new situations and will be a more well-rounded child in the long run. My time with him is now focused and more special because it is limited.  All’s well that ends well.